Clutch



s. SMITH CLUTCH Filed Feb. 5. 1923 INVl-ZN'IOR SYDNEY SMITH, .Y his Abtornuyu,

95mm rhm:

45 slot.

ma -.1 M..%.,1.a 1,492,862

UNITED sures PATENT em,E.-; I

sYmuiY smrrn, or mama, ENGLAND.

cnurca.

Application filed February 5, 1923. Serial No. 817,100.

To all whom it may concern: In the accompanying drawing which illus- Be it known that I, SYDNEY SMITH, a trates the invention F igure -1 is alongitudisubject of the Kin of Great Britain, residnal half section, Figure 2 is a section on ing at 7 Oxford oad,'Gunnersbnry, Lonthe line 2-2, Figure 1, Figure 3 is a de- 5 don, England, have'invented new and usetail face view of the clutch plate to a smaller ful Improvements in Clutches, of whichthe scale, and Figure 4 is a. detail edge view following is a specification. of Figure 3 looking from the left.

This invention relates to improvements in friction clutches and more especially to -flywheel 2. 3 is a cover plate which is 1 automobile clutches of the plate or disc type. drawn towards the flywheel 2 by springs My invention is especially applicable to a 4 which are placed under the desired tenclutch in which the driven member comsion by nuts 5 on bolts 6. 7 are screws prises a single plate or disc. which prevent the bolts6 from turning or According to my invention I providefa from coming out of the flywheel 2 if the 1B clutch plate with a' plurality of springy nuts 5 be removed. 8 is a sleeve secured tongues which are bent away from the plane to the plate 3 and screw threaded at its of the plate, and in such a direction that outer end to receive the usual ring by means 1 is a driving shaft fast on which is a I v when the clutch is slipping in taking up of which the plate 3 can be withdrawn from the drive, any point on the driving memthe flywheel 2 by. a clutch pedal. her, when overrunning a tongue, passes the The said ring and clutch pedal form no root of the tongue before reaching the tip part of this invention and are so well known thereof. When the clutch is fully in .enthat they are not shown in the drawings. gagement the tongues are flattened or I sprung back into the plane of the plate. with a lining 9 of material known under in one way of carrying out my invention the registered trade mark Ferodo or with as applied to a clutch of the type in which a lining of like material; The mechanism the driven member comprises a metal plate, described forms the driving part of the and the drivin member a flywheel and a clutch. spring loaded cl ntch cover, the plate is pro- The vided with a plurality of pairs of tongues of springy material having a number of which are bent away from theplane of the pairs of tongues 11, 12, which are bent away plate, one tongue of each pair being bento from the plane of the platelO, as shown in one direction and the other tongue in in Figure 4, one tongue of each pair bethe opposite direction, all the tongues being bent in one direction and the other ing so arranged that when the clutch is tongue in the opposite direction, the corslipping, in taking up the drive, any point responding tongues of each successive pair on the driving member when overrunning being bent in opposite directions.

a tongue passes the root of the tongue be- Each pair of tongues 11, 12, is formed by fore reaehingthe tip thereof. making a slot 13 extending from the cir- Each pair of tongues may conveniently cumference of the plate 10 towards the cenbe formed'by making a slot in the plate tie in a radial direction and'two concentric extending from the circumference thereof slits 14 which start from. the slot 13.

towards the centre in a rad'al direction and The arrow in Figure 3 indicates the ditwo concentric slits each tarting from the rection'of rotation of the. driving shaft 1 and flywheel 2 and it will be observed that It is obvious that the tongues need not when slip takes 1place between the plate 10 necessarily be opposite each other, and that and the flywhee 2 and cover plate 3, any

other detailed changes may be made without point on'the flywheel 2 or plate 3 when overdeparting from the spirit of the invention. running a tongue 11 or 12 passes the root referably the corresponding tongues of of the tongue before reaching the tip each successive pair are bent in opposite dithereof.

rections. The plate 10 is secured to aring 15 by The flywheel and the clutch cover .may bolts 16; the ring 15 is provided at its inner driven member comprises a plate 10 The flywheel 2 and cover plate 3 are faced be provided with a Ferodo or like lining. circumference with splines 17 which engage I smaller splines on a hollow shaft 18. 19 is I a ball bearing interposed between the shafts 18 and 1.

What I claim is .1. A clutch plate having a pairs of substantiallyv concentric tongues which are bent away from the'plane of the plate and in such a direction that when the clutch" is slipping in taking up the drive, any point on the driving member, when overnmning a tongue, passes the root of the tongue before reaching the tip thereof,

plurality of one tongue of each pair being bent in one direction and the fother tongue in the opposite direction.

'2. A clutch plate as claimed in claim 1, in which the corresponding tongues of each successive pairs are bentin opposite directions.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed by name this 23rdday of January, 1923.

SYDNEY SMITH. 

